


It's always darkest just before the dawn (so stay awake with me)

by jdalex



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Blood, First Time, Frottage, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-27
Updated: 2013-06-27
Packaged: 2017-12-16 08:03:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/859815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jdalex/pseuds/jdalex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Isaac doesn't realize it's not touch he needs, it's Derek.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's always darkest just before the dawn (so stay awake with me)

**Author's Note:**

> This is my "HI I'm now writing for the teen wolf fandom" intro work so YAY
> 
> Basically I just want Derek and Isaac to have all the nice things and that's where this came from. It follows the show up until like the second episode of season 3.
> 
> Many many thanks to [Kat](http://nowinscenarios.tumblr.com/) for the beta read! Any remaining mistakes are my own
> 
> Title credit goes to "make it stop" by Rise Against.
> 
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Isaac’s never considered himself needy, he’d never wanted physical closeness before. He didn’t get it from his father and as he got older it became almost a foreign idea - hugging, touching anyone in a positive way - but now.

 

Things are different now.

 

+

 

He runs his fingers along the railing of the staircase, leaving trails of himself behind in the dust. Derek’s rummaging around for something in one of the back rooms, Isaac can hear him grunting in frustration as whatever it is he’s looking for evades him.  Isaac’s actually only ever seen the first two rooms in the Hale house, the one time he’d stepped through the threshold further into the house Derek had growled and Isaac didn’t push. Still won’t because his Alpha doesn’t want him back there for either personal reasons or some other unknown reason and Isaac trusts Derek.

 

Erica’s been dead for a month today exactly. Isaac kind of hates himself for knowing that.

 

Boyd’s out on the porch, shoes scuffing against the weathered wood as he paces slowly, waiting.

 

He’s still there, in there, somewhere. The Boyd Isaac knew before any of this happened. He’s been patient, Derek’s been patient but it’s hard sometimes. Hard to be woken up by screams as Boyd’s subconscious reminds him of what he went through.

 

He doesn’t talk about it, shuts down completely when Isaac had tried to ask so he doesn’t anymore. Derek deals with it better, as he should, but that doesn’t stop this stupid ping of jealousy from flaring up deep in his gut when Boyd and Derek whisper, so low he can’t even hear them. He hates himself for it, for feeling this way but he liked being Derek’s right hand, second in command and he’s not really sure he is anymore.

 

The house creaks as Derek walks and Isaac taps out the beat of his heartbeat as he gets closer. Isaac looks up when Derek steps into the hallway and raises his eyebrows in a silent question. Isaac just nods before stepping out of the house, Derek’s footfalls close behind him.

 

Neither Boyd nor Isaac ask why they came here and all three are quite as they drive back to the loft.

 

Isaac wanders aimlessly through when they get back into town. Derek’s place is still reasonably empty, only the essentials but that doesn’t stop Isaac from thinking a few extra chairs wouldn’t exactly hurt the place.  

 

Boyd heads home after only a few minutes, after he realizes Derek doesn’t need him the rest of the night and Isaac listens to his footsteps as he disappears down the hallway and out into the street.

 

“Boyd’s not coming back.” Derek says and Isaac whips his head around so fast he feels like he’s just suffered from whiplash.

 

He parts his mouth to ask but Derek shakes his head. “It’s his decision.”

 

He should leave, go home and let Derek think but he doesn’t. He doesn’t want to go home to that empty house that his father’s ghost still haunts. He’d stayed, more often than not, at Derek’s this summer, sleeping on the couch so many nights he’s sure his scent is forever embedded in the cushions and all but abandoned that house.

 

He likes to think that Derek liked his presence and sometimes in his wildest dreams he imagines that Derek actually misses it.

 

“Isaac,” Derek says, snapping his fingers in front of his face to get his attention.

 

Isaac’s head snaps up, “Yeah? Sorry I was - thinking or something...” he rambles, shaking his head in embarrassment.

 

Derek smiles for a tiny instance, “I asked if you wanted food?”

 

“Yeah, yeah definitely.”

 

They’re silent as they eat their sandwiches from the deli down the road, the tv plays softly in front of them but Isaac has no interest in what’s on, more focused on the heat of Derek’s thigh next to his and how much he’d like to bury his head in Derek’s neck and stay there, at least for an hour or two.

 

Derek seems to sense what Isaac wants, at least to some extent because after he takes the last bite of his sandwich he leans back against the couch and opens his arm with a small, “M’ere,”

 

It was weird the first time it happened, Derek had made the move for physical affection and Isaac just remembers being awkwardly stiff until Derek had dropped his head down and whispered, “Relax.”

 

Isaac thinks that maybe it started because he was the only one left. Derek’s only Beta and he knows it deep in his bones that Derek would do anything to protect his pack so he clung to Isaac as closely as he could.

 

It’s only ever Isaac resting his head on Derek’s shoulder, occasionally Derek will fiddle with the hem of Isaac’s shirt but nothing else. It’s - nice. Really nice, and now that he’s back under Derek’s arm he’d forgotten how much he actually liked it.

 

He feels safe, grounded and maybe that’s just because Derek’s his Alpha but maybe not. Maybe it’s just because it’s Derek and he’s Isaac and this is how they fit.

 

He gets a whole minute of self-control in before turning his head and breathing in Derek’s scent, strong at the base of his neck where the blood pumps steadily beneath the surface. Derek squeezes his shoulder, a reassurance that he doesn’t mind and Isaac gives up the act of pretending he doesn’t want this. He hides his face in the crock of Derek’s neck and it isn’t long before his eyes are feeling heavy and he's slipping off to sleep.

 

+

 

He wakes in the morning to the light of the sun, the scent of Derek strong around him, and the feel of soft sheets beneath his fingers. He can sense the weight of another body directly behind him and with the smallest twitch of his head he can see Derek against his back, close but not touching, barely an inch of space between their bodies and Isaac wonders if Derek fell asleep this close to him or if he moved subconsciously towards the heat in his sleep.

 

Isaac ignores how much he wants it to be the first reason.

 

+

 

He gets antsy two days later. He hasn’t left Derek’s yet and he feels like he’s intruding. He’s sure Derek would rather be alone, or at least have alone time but just the thought of leaving makes him feel a bit sick. It’s a ridiculous notion, him being a werewolf now, but if he’s honest with himself he’s scared to go back to his old house.

 

“Isaac, why don’t you sell that house?” Derek says that night over cold pizza and warm beer.

 

It still startles him sometimes how in tune Derek is with his inner thoughts. The terrifying thought of Alpha’s being able to read minds passes and just as quickly he stomps on it because that’s a whole can of worms he’d rather never open.

 

He looks up at Derek, “Are you sure? I mean -”

 

“It’s no imposition, I know how that house makes you feel and it’s easier having you here all the time anyway. Should just move in with me and forget it.”

 

“Okay,” Isaac says, looking down at his plate to hide how big he’s smiling, “Yeah,” he’s practically giddy.

 

+

 

He hates nights like these. Derek had left more than four hours ago and strictly told Isaac to stay here, that he’d be fine on his own and he didn’t want to have to worry about Isaac getting hurt. Isaac had argued with the whole strength in numbers thing but Derek had growled, grabbed tightly to the back of Isaac’s neck and told him to stay put, the threat of claws dimpling his skin.

 

He’d thought about calling Scott and having him come over, it would have helped stopped Isaac’s mind from coming up with a thousand ways Derek could die but selfishly he’d decided against it. Derek would come home to Isaac - just Isaac - and Isaac would clean him up and make sure he was healing fully and fret over superficial wounds.

 

He spends his time looking out the window, watching people pass down on the street. He claws at his palm, mindlessly, slowly, tracing the life line or whatever the hell it’s called. He doesn’t put much pressure behind it at first, just watching the skin change color depending on how hard he presses but soon enough his claw is piercing the skin, red flows freely for mere seconds before the skin seals and a light pink scar shows.

 

He traces it once with the pad of his finger, smearing blood, before cutting into the flesh again, following the same line and being mesmerized by how quickly he heals. It helps him not think, keeps his mind off the thoughts of Derek being killed.

 

It’s hours later - he assumes, he stopped paying attention to the clock after Derek had been gone for five hours - when the door finally opens. Derek walks in bloody and bruised and even though this is what Isaac expected it still makes his heart clench tight in his chest.

 

“Fuck.” He says under his breath and comes to slip under Derek’s arm to support some of his weight as they stumble to the bed. He reaches for the hem of Derek’s shredded shirt and lifts carefully. The blood has started clotting with the cloth and Isaac knows it’s going to hurt to pull the shirt completely off.

 

“Ready?” He asks even though he knows, Derek growls softly, as if he’s steeling himself for what’s to come but that doesn’t stop him from shuddering hard as the cloth catches and pulls at closing wounds. He hisses hard under his breath and Isaac tries to stop himself from passing out. The open wounds across Derek’s stomach and chest are horrible looking things, mangling his flesh. Isaac knows that if he were to look hard enough he’d see Derek’s viscera and it surprises him when he feels the prickling of tears at his eyelids.

 

“What do you need me to do?” He asks and even though his voice doesn’t shake he knows Derek can hear the way his heart stutters.

 

“The berries in the fridge.” Derek says and Isaac’s quick to obey.

 

Derek engulfs them all in seconds and Isaac nervously taps his hand against his knee as he watches - waiting to actually see the skin healing - but it never comes.

 

“Why isn’t it working?”

 

“It is.” Is all Derek says before gingerly lying down, he groans as his muscles stretch and Isaac almost has the thought of replying with a childish ‘nuh-uh’ because seriously, _nothing is happening_.

 

“It’s elderberry.” Derek says finally as if that’s supposed to answer all the questions in Isaac’s head. Derek scoffs, picking up on Isaac’s confusion and continues. “It boosts my immune system, it’s the best thing for wounds like this. They’ll heal slower because they’re from another Alpha but the berries will fight off infection better than my body would be able to do alone, I’m not dying, now would you just relax?”

 

“Fine.” Isaac says, throwing his hands up in defeat before going to wet a rag and returning to Derek’s side. He presses the cloth lightly, rubbing away excess blood, but Derek goes to push him away. In a flash of nerve, Isaac slaps his hands and growls - it’s a tiny noise, barely comparable to a startled puppy - but that doesn’t stop Derek from hearing it. Isaac swallows hard and glances up cautiously, expecting the worse.

 

Derek’s face is unreadable, eyebrows bunched together and lips in a thin line but after a minute he laughs (well as much of a laugh that can be expected from Derek Hale, it’s more of a snort really) and drops his head back against the mattress.

 

“Sorry,” Isaac says as an afterthought and Derek nods.

 

“Next time you growl at me don’t expect the same reaction.”

 

Isaac keeps quiet as he dabs away the rest of excess blood, listening carefully to Derek’s breathing and the steady, strong promise of his heartbeat.

 

+

 

Somewhere after that, the lines get a bit blurry. Maybe it’s because Boyd’s left, maybe it’s because whenever Derek’s bleeding Isaac thinks of how he’s _seen_ Derek’s intestines. Maybe because it’s easy to imagine with Derek because there’s no way it’ll turn into reality. It’s a safe fantasy because that’s all it’ll ever be - a fantasy. No threat of reality, no threat of living up to someone’s standards only to fall short again. He won’t have to worry about disappointing Derek because there is no Derek and him.

 

Whatever the real reason, Isaac makes himself a permanent fixture in Derek’s bed.

 

It’s nice, one of the nicest feelings Isaac’s felt in a long while because he feels totally safe, completely at ease with his Alpha sleeping just inches from him. And sometimes, in the middle of the night, Isaac will wake to the foreign feeling of a weight across his stomach.

 

The first time it happened, Isaac bolted, going back to instinct and pushing away the weight that was Derek’s arm. Derek hadn’t woken, just mumbled and rolled onto his other side. Isaac’s heart had been pounding, memories of his dad flooding his brain. He didn’t sleep the rest of that night.

 

Now though, now that it’s something that he’s almost used to, he curls into, let’s his mind wander into places he tries to keep it out of. A place where he imagines what it’d be like to fall asleep like this instead of wake up to it, a place where maybe Derek kisses him goodnight, maybe kisses him good morning as well. A place where sometimes Derek will pin him to the bed and make him beg, make him scream Derek’s name until it’s the only word he knows.

 

He never gets much sleep on nights like those either.

 

It isn’t until one morning that he realizes maybe he should have kept his fantasizes completely locked away because somehow when he’s still on the edge of sleep, he whines, actually _whines_ because Derek pulls his arm away from where it had been wrapped around Isaac’s waist. He groans in embarrassment when he realizes what he’s done and quickly rolls on his side to bury his head in the pillow, fully awake after the sting of humiliation. Derek laughs though, and that doesn’t help Isaac feel any better. “Calm down pup.” Derek says, breath washing over the back of Isaac’s neck as he winds his arm back around Isaac and pulls him tight against his chest.

 

The world shifts on its axis then, Isaac’s sure of it, because that was - that was definitely the press of lips he felt at the base of his neck, over that prominent knob of his vertebrae from the way he slouches all the time. He doesn’t dare move when he feels it again, tries to stay as still as possible because once he moves Derek’s going to realize what he’s doing and recoil in disgust.

 

It doesn’t come, though. Derek gets more insistent if anything, mouth pressing harder like he’s trying to make a point. The first scrap of teeth is what finally triggers a reaction.

 

His body shudders under the sensation, followed by a tight pull in his groin, and something close to a squeak that may have started out as a moan.

 

“Isaac, turn around.” The Alpha command is there, barely but it registers and Isaac does as he’s told. He keeps his head tipped back though, too embarrassed to look Derek in the eyes. He feels the light press of Derek’s nose against the column of his throat and swallows thickly, fingers pinching into the sheets so they don’t get any ideas of their own and do something stupid like scrap through Derek’s hair.

 

Derek inhales sharply, tongue peeking out to lick at the skin closely followed by lips and as much as Isaac loves it he can’t stop his stupid body from locking up with tension. Derek’s lips quirk up into a smirk and Isaac sarcastically thinks he’s glad he can be of so much enjoyment to his Alpha.

 

“Would you relax?” Derek finally says.

 

“What are you doing? I mean - why? It just doesn’t... If you’re doing this to mess with my head -”

 

“Hey!” Derek snaps, head coming up and with his hand he forces Isaac’s head down so they’re looking eye to eye. “You really think I would do this to fuck with you?”

 

 _No_.... “No. But why are you?”

 

“Because I want to.”

 

Isaac almost feels like arguing because no one’s ever wanted him before and why would the man he’s been fantasizing about want him back? But then Derek’s lips are on his and everything he’d thought about saying goes out the window.

 

It’s a soft kiss, hesitant, giving Isaac plenty of time to pull away and say stop but he doesn’t, wouldn’t dream of it actually.

 

Derek’s gentle, gentler than Isaac would have ever imagined but it's a nice surprise, what with soft kisses that slowly fog up his mind. Derek’s fingers are light against his ribs, skimming carefully over the bone just beneath the surface in way that makes Isaac shiver.

 

Derek retreats back into the crock of Isaac’s neck, biting and sucking in a way that makes Isaac throw his head back and whine in submission. He has a feeling it’s a response that Derek likes, so primal, being belly up to his Alpha, but it’s also something he wants, something that makes his cock throb insistently.

 

Derek shifts closer, crowding into Isaac’s space and Isaac cants his hips up, opening them for Derek to fit between them. He gets a bit light headed then, looking up to see Derek looming over him, stronger than him, muscles bulging across his chest and arms.

 

“I’m not going to hurt you Isaac.” Derek says, reading his mind again but Isaac nods.

 

“No, I know you won’t.”

 

“Is this okay?” Derek asks, shifting more of his weight on his knees, backing off a bit.

 

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Isaac wants to prove that too so he leans up, parting his lips in an invitation that Derek accepts, kissing him with more intention but no less gentle than before.

 

Isaac lets go of the hold he had on the bed to instead bury his hands in Derek’s hair. It’s soft, he knew that before but it feels softer now and with the scrap of fingernails Derek growls into his mouth, kissing him more intently. He gets lost in the pressure of Derek’s lips, the smell of not only his arousal but Derek’s as well and that’s a heady thought. To think, that _he’s_ the reason Derek smells like that –

 

His hips jump on their own accord but he’s met with nothing, Derek’s keeping his body up, only touching with his lips and hands and Isaac’s just about had enough of that.

 

“I’m not going to break,” He pants, fingers skidding down the length of Derek’s back to grab at his waist and pull, making his point obvious.

 

“I’m not going to do anything you don’t want.” And the sincerity behind it makes Isaac’s head clear a bit.

 

“You aren’t. I’d tell you. It’s just - orgasms, mutual orgasms, that’d be a thing I’d be interested in.”

 

Derek laughs, really laughs and it’s enough that even Isaac breaks out in a smile.

 

“Alright pup.” Derek murmurs, voice gone breathy and it’s ridiculous because Derek usually calls Isaac pup when he’s teasing him but hearing it now, in this situation, has Isaac’s gut twisting in unexpected pleasure. Derek presses down and the first contact against his dick has Isaac’s eyelids fluttering closed.

 

“Yeah,” he says, hands coming up to Derek’s shoulders to give him something to cling to as he ruts up and Derek ruts down and _fuck_. He tries to be quiet, honest to god he does, but this is - fuck - this is better than anything he’d ever thought up. The smell of sex gets stronger and his dick is getting sticky in his boxers but taking them off would mean pushing Derek away and that’s the last thing he wants.

 

He’s going to come in his boxers.

 

He’s going to make Derek come in his boxers.

 

And if that’s not the hottest thing he’s ever imagined. _Christ_.

 

Derek starts to lose rhythm, hips snapping faster and faster but never in a domineering way, like if Isaac were so inclined to push Derek away Derek would go easily.

 

He comes with a shout, painting the inside of his boxers as he shakes through it and curling up to cling to Derek’s body. Derek makes a predatory noise, growling low in his throat, “God Isaac your smell.”

 

Isaac flushes at the meaning of Derek’s words, that the smell of his come is what’s doing it for Derek and with one final thrust Derek’s muscles tense under Isaac’s fingers and with a long breath of what sounds like Isaac’s name, Derek comes.

 

Derek does his best to not completely collapse on top of Isaac and nuzzles back into his neck, humming quietly and Isaac feels like he’s buzzing.

 

“Well, good morning.” Derek says and Isaac startles himself with the laugh that escapes his mouth.

 

He smirks, “Morning.”

 

“Was thinking about a shower,” Derek continues, “was thinking you could join me.” And in typical Derek fashion, he doesn’t wait for Isaac to reply, just simply gets off the bed and heads for the bathroom.

 

Isaac bolts upright, “Your back,” he says, eyeing the pink lines that were definitely open wounds just moments ago.

 

Derek turns to look at him over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow before smiling and nodding to Isaac’s hands. Isaac looks down to see the blood under his claws and squeezes his eyes shut, cheeks flooding red, “Oh, sorry.”

 

Derek laughs, “No problem, apparently you like to mark your territory.”


End file.
